Tapioca is a starch extracted from the cassava root. Tapioca pudding is a quick and easy dessert that can be made in 30 minutes in an instant pot. This 3-ingredient dessert is absolutely creamy and delicious.
What is tapioca pudding made of?
Tapioca pudding is made with only 3 ingredients. This tapioca pudding recipe is made without eggs. It is made with whole milk, sugar, and tapioca pudding.
Tapioca pearls come in various sizes. I have used the medium-sized tapioca pearls for this recipe which are about 4-5 mm in diameter.
You can also add a flavoring of your choices like vanilla, nutmeg, or saffron, and cardamom powder to make it an Indian-style sabudana kheer.
How to make vegan tapioca pudding?
To make vegan tapioca pudding, you can use plant-based milk like coconut milk.
Is tapioca pudding gluten-free?
Yes! Tapioca pudding a gluten-free as tapioca is made from cassava root which is gluten-free.
What flavor is tapioca pudding?
Tapioca pudding tastes great just plain. However, you can add vanilla extract for flavor. You can also top it with some nutmeg powder.
Fruits flavors can be added to the pudding by adding fruit pulp like mango, banana, strawberry, or blueberry.
It is very easy to make Indian flavored sabudana kheer by adding a few strands of saffron, some cardamom powder, and sliced pistachios or milk masala powder.
How to make tapioca pudding in instant pot?
Making tapioca pudding in the instant pot is very easy and it can be made in just about 30 minutes from start to finish.
Place all the ingredients - tapioca pearls, milk, and sugar in the instant pot liner. Cook it on high-pressure mode for 10 minutes and then allow the pressure to release naturally.
Once you open the lid, the pearls would have grown in size, look translucent, and be soft in texture. This means that the pudding has been well cooked.
The pudding will thicken as it cools down. You can always add some milk if you want to adjust the consistency.
How to serve tapioca pudding?
Tapioca pudding tastes great when served warm or chilled. You can top it with your favorite fruits or puree, or just sprinkle some nutmeg powder.
How to store tapioca pudding?
Tapioca pudding stores well in the fridge for 4-5 days. When you are ready to eat, you can reheat it in the microwave. The pudding thickens as it cools down, so if you prefer, you can add some milk to adjust the consistency.
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๐ Recipe
Instant Pot Tapioca Pudding
Watch Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Tapioca pearls (size of 4-5 mm diameter)
- 5 cup Milk (whole)
- ยพ cup Organic cane sugar
Instructions
- Add tapioca pearls, milk, and sugar to the instant pot liner.
- Mix it with a spatula.
- Close and lock the lid with pressure knob in sealing position.
- Select and cook on the high-pressure mode for 10 minutes followed by natural pressure release.
- Allow the pudding to cool down, it will thicken as it cools down.
Pot in pot method for small batch - See notes
Notes
- This recipe has been tested and works well on 3 qt and 6 qt instant pots with the same quantity of ingredients and time.
- You can add ยผ to ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract after the pudding is cooked and has cooled down a little.
- It is best to add fruits/pulp after the pudding has cooled down.
- To make it vegan, you can use coconut milk or almond milk. If you use a sweetened version, then you can reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe.
- Pour 1 cup of water (or more for larger pots) into the instant pot liner.
- In a small stainless steel bowl add ยฝ cup of tapioca pearls, 2 ยฝ cup milk, 6 tablespoon sugar, and mix well.
- Place the bowl in the instant pot liner on a trivet.
- Cover the small pot with a lid.
- Close and lock the instant pot lid with the valve in the sealing position.
- Pressure cook on high-pressure mode for 30 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release for 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually.
- Mix the pudding well with a whisk to get rid of any lumps.
- Allow the pudding to cool down to thicken.
- For the pot in pot method - ensure you fill only half of the small pot to avoid any spillage.
Lisa says
Did the pot in pot method, my tapioca pudding came out amber colored, tastes ok but I think Iโll try cooking it less than 30 minutes on high pressure as per the pot in pot directions. Iโm wondering why you need an extra 20 minutes for it to cook using the smaller batch size? Because of the pot in pot doesn't transfer the heat as well? Anyway, pretty darn easy and tasty even if it doesn't look creamy white like the picture and video.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Lisa,
It will not be white but creamy in color. Yes, pot in pot takes longer because it doesn't transfer heat directly. I have tried 20 minutes but the pearls were not cooked.
If the pearls are of smaller size you can try shorter duration.
In any case if they are not cooked, you can cook them for additional few minutes.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Alpa
Moriaelini says
I can confirm that oatmilk does not work, lol. I mean it works, but the milk scalds and separates. We still ate it, but it looked really odd.
Te ฤn Ha says
Me again. Tried using the 6 qt instead of the 3 qt. Spattering from the seal release once pressure was reached and the rest of the cook time. Had to put paper towels to control the mess. This was a IP Luxe model with only one setting for pressure cook. Maybe back to the 3 qt Duo and try medium pressure as I can do low, medium, or high pressure? Also used 3/4 cup Thai small pearls instead of 1 cup. Texture is better. Not so thick. Anyone have ideas on how to not have the spattering?
Alpa Jain says
Hi Te An Ha,
The spattering can be if the knob is not in the sealing position. Also, from my experience, the spattering usually happens when the knob or the valve is not well cleaned, and it can happen with any food you cook. So you may want to ensure that they are well cleaned. This recipe works well with either of the 3 qt. or 6 qt. Instant Pot. If you reduce the pressure to medium or low then you may have to increase the cook time and I have not tried it.
Hope this helps,
Regards
Alpa
Te ฤn Ha says
I used small Thai tapioca pearls from the Asian market and 2% milk. Added a bit of cinnamon with the vanilla. Made it in a 3 qt Duo. When I did the manual release after 10 min natural release, the steam turned to the pudding spitting out. Had to cover with paper towels. The pudding had thickened (not as much as after chilling) so cleaning up the gooey stuff was messy. But the pearls were cooked through following the directions. Guess Iโll use my 6 qt next time for more head space and less mess. The pudding does look and tastes good.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Te An Ha,
You can just let the pressure release naturally until the silver pin drops. If you want to release the pressure manually, you can do a controlled release by moving the pressure knob to venting position for a few seconds and then move it back to sealing position for about 30 seconds and repeating it until all the pressure is released.
Hope this helps,
Alpa
Jeff says
Super Easy and YUM!!!!
Alpa Jain says
Hi Jeff,
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe ๐
Cheers
Alpa
Odetta Adkins says
Could you use a sugar substitute and if so which one would work best?
Alpa Jain says
Hi Odetta,
I have not tried other sugar substitutes. Some of the readers have made it with coconut sugar and monk fruit with erythritol.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Alpa
Amy Bubenheim says
I made this directly in the pot as instructed. Came out pretty good after it set but we had some larger gummy chunks. How can I avoid the clumps? After it cooked, I whisked the pudding before putting into small bowls but it didn't stop all the clumping. Pudding thickened so much overnight in fridge and we had to add milk before eating to get a creamy texture. Should I try cooking for less time in the future? I used small tapioca pearls, whole milk, and organic cane sugar.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Amy,
Glad to know you enjoyed the pudding.
I think the gummy chunks are most probably due to the smaller size pearls being cooked longer. You can try pressure cooking it for about 7 minutes next time. Also, you can try to do a manual pressure release after about 10 minutes and then whisk it, this will help loosen up any clumps easily. If you think the tapioca is too much, you can try reducing the quantity by about 2-3 tablespoons the next time.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any more questions and I will be happy to help.
Cheers,
Alpa
Loretta DeGregory says
I made your recipe with 1 cup of large pearls and 3 cups of whole milk and 2 cups of oat milk as I ran out of whole milk. It is very watery. Don't know if it will thicken at all. Was I supposed to soak the pearls before cooking in IP?
Alpa Jain says
Hi Loretta,
There is no need to soak the pearls. Tapioca pudding will be runny once it is cooked. As it cools down it will thicken up. You can also refrigerate it to thicken it up. Let me know how it is after a few hours of cooling down.
Regards
Alpa
Lisa says
I followed directions to a T, still runny n beads still firm,
Alpa Jain says
Hi Lisa,
If the beads are firm after cooking then they could be of larger size and would need more time to cook. If accidentally you used the low pressure mode, it would take longer to cook as well. If the pearls are not well cooked then the pudding may not thicken up well.
You can try pressure cooking them longer and then as the pudding cools, it will thicken up. Hope this helps.
Regards
Alpa
Jeff says
Tried this in my 3-quart IP in 10-minute porridge mode. It would stop before finishing with "burn" message. Sure enough, it was burned on bottom.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Jeff,
Sorry to hear that you got a burn message. Can you try the manual pressure setting next time? I have not used the porridge mode and not sure if that was the reason.
Regards,
Alpa
Suz says
I used the 3 qt pot in the 6 qt IP. Using the trivet the lid would not fit. Instead of a trivet I used several bamboo skewers. The lid on smaller pot seemed to make it too high. Any suggestions? Thank you.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Suz,
You can try covering with a foil.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Alpa
Lois Erdmann says
Just wondering if anyone has used the 3 quart liner inside the 6 quart Instant Pot to do the Pot in Pot version making the full recipe. I was even thinking it would not even need a lid on it to do it that way? I am tempted to try but hate to go rogue.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Lois,
I have not tried it, but it should work. It might just take a little longer to cook. You can try covering with a foil if you don't want to cover the inner pot with a lid.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Alpa
Nette says
My IP is an 8 quart, and the last time I tried a tapioca pud recipe, I got a burn notice. I'd like to try this, but will I need to add more liquid?
Alpa Jain says
Hi Nette,
For 8 qt, I recommend at least making 2x times the recipe. It is a large pot and cooking a small amount of food can cause it to burn.
I have also tested and included the instructions to make it using the pot in pot method. You can try that, you will need a little more water in the liner, maybe 1.5 cup instead of 1 cup. Pot in pot works well for a smaller batch.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Alpa
Janet says
I made this recipe last week using the large pearl tapioca but we didnโt like that many so I tried it again with half the amount of pearls and the pearls cooked. It it never thickened up. What can I do to make the milk thicken?
Alpa Jain says
Hi Janet
Did it thicken the first time? Did you allow it to cool down completely? Also did you try refrigerating it?
Please let me know.
Regards
Alpa
B says
Just made this and hubby said it was good and can't wait til it's cooled. Made in 3 qt Instant Pot.
Diana says
I must have a larger tapioca. They were not cooked at all. Any suggestions? If I cook longer will milk be ok.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Diana,
Did you make sure you were cooking on high-pressure mode and not low pressure? If the pearls are large then it will take longer to cook and the milk will be fine.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Alpa
Reba says
I l read your 2 recipes, the 5 cup milk one says cook 10 minutes and natural release where the small batch says cook 30 minutes 10 minutes natural release then quick release. Why the large difference in cook times for small batch. Thanks Reba.
Alpa Jain says
Hi Reba,
The pot in pot method takes much longer to cook, so the difference in cooking times. The quick release is to avoid the pearls from sticking together.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Alpa
Sue says
I made this about a week go and it came out perfect! I use regular sugar, not organic. Used Reese brand tapioca pearls. Once cooled a bit I put it in the fridge. Didnโt eat it until the next day and it had thickened nicely.